The leaked cable written by an American ambassador contained amazing detail of a luncheon meeting attended by the Duke of York, who must be steamed by its revelations. The detail suggests that the luncheon may have been secretly recorded by the Ambassador.

This and other leaked cables demonstrate that the line between diplomacy and spying has disappeared. What else has been reported that foreign dignitaries assumed would be secret? How many reports, as detailed as that one, are routinely sent, and are conversations routinely and secretly recorded?

Perhaps it’s assumed that each country is spying on the others, but what is new is that the results can be laid out for anyone to read. That wasn’t anticipated.